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Getting to the Point | The Exkalibur Newsletter | August 11, 2017

The sole purpose of Getting to the Point is Helping YOU Become a More Effective Leader. For each of the topics included in our Business Brief segment, for example, there’s an important point I want to share that applies equally to all leaders and businesses.

But with all of our technology prowess, you’ll learn as we go Around the Web, that its effect on child development … not so great. As a parent, you’ll want to carefully consider some of the latest research about the how smartphones have destroyed a generation and the related increase in depression, anxiety and teen suicide. On the brighter side, you can learn about the science behind how the brain perceives beauty.

Welcome to Sword Tips, the Exkalibur Newsletter.You may not take the time or have the inclination to scour so many sources each week … so I’m serving as your Curious AND Conscientious Curator to bring you interesting articles, facts and stories across a wide range of subjects … not focused on breaking or “timely” news … but on timeless information … that’s relevant to you, your business and your life. That’s what I mean by “Getting to the Point”.

Table of Contents

The Top 50 Artists … and The Favorites In Your Area

The NY Times recently “looked at the 50 artists that were most watched on YouTube in the United States between January 2016 and April 2017. Each map shows relative popularity in different parts of the country.”

Your Next Step to Becoming a More Effective Leader

I’m excited to announce the first course in the Leadership Development curriculum being launched at Exkalibur University.

Beginning immediately after Labor Day, we will begin our first Leadership course, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – 7 Remarkably Simple Steps to Earn Respect. It’s designed to help you accelerate your Leadership Journey based on this indisputable premise:

“To Become a More Effective Leader you must first Become a Respected Leader.”

The course will include a series of emails over a two-week period. Along the way, we will hold several LIVE Office Hours sessions where we will dive deeper into some of the subjects you will read about, with a Q&A period each time to answer all of your questions. You can also expect a few special bonuses along the way to supplement the course materials.

Next week, we will begin to share additional details with you, so keep your eye on your inbox for further information. If you’re already an Exkalibur Subscriber, you’ll receive a super special discount to make it easy for you and your team to enroll in our new Leadership Series and advance your professional development.

Leadership Development Should Always Be On Your Mind

“According to a recent Fortune survey, only 7 percent of CEOs believe their companies are building effective global leaders, and just 10 percent said that their leadership-development initiatives have a clear business impact.”

“Our (McKinsey & Co.) latest research has a similar message: only 11 percent of more than 500 executives we polled around the globe strongly agreed with the statement that their leadership-development interventions achieve and sustain the desired results.”

“Supersizing Urban America, a new book by the historian of public health, Chin Jou, shows that fast food did not just find its way to low-income urban areas: It was brought there by the federal government.

“In the wake of the 1968 riots, Nixon’s law-and-order presidency began programs that doled out federal funds to fast food franchises. The administration asserted that black-owned businesses serving fast food would help to cure urban unrest by promoting an entrepreneurial spirit in poor communities. The federal subsidization of McDonald’s and other chains to enter urban markets previously considered too poor or dangerous was meant to promote ”black capitalism.“ It did make a select group of black entrepreneurs wealthy, but it was mostly a boon to fast food giants searching for new market demographics.”

“Anyone who tried to pick up Mandarin from our 1,035 fortunes in some bootleg flashcard stratagem would be in decent luck. At 173 words, we’re talking the vocabulary of a highly precocious 2-year-old or a late-blooming toddler.”

“My daughter has spent the past week telling me, ”Did you know that every time you click a mouse, you burn one calorie?”

This man was determined to find out.

The Blue Whale Challenge is REPUGNANT

It’s hard to believe there is such a thing as the Blue Whale Challenge, which is reportedly an internet trend “which involves participants sharing a series of instructions on how to harm themselves that end in suicide — and which was blamed for the deaths of several teens in Russia and the United States.”

Speaking of Parenting … READ THIS.

“More comfortable online than out partying, post-Millennials are safer, physically, than adolescents have ever been. But they’re on the brink of a mental-health crisis.”

“The more I pored over yearly surveys of teen attitudes and behaviors, and the more I talked with young people like Athena, the clearer it became that theirs is a generation shaped by the smartphone and by the concomitant rise of social media. I call them iGen. Born between 1995 and 2012, members of this generation are growing up with smartphones, have an Instagram account before they start high school, and do not remember a time before the internet.”

Then, Sprinkle a Little More Science on this Smartphone Phenomena

“assess prevalence of smartphone addiction symptoms, and to ascertain whether depression or anxiety, independently, contributes to smartphone addiction level among a sample of Lebanese university students, while adjusting simultaneously for important sociodemographic, academic, lifestyle, personality trait, and smartphone-related variables.”

There’s much more here, but this is one of the conclusions:

“Prevalence rates of smartphone-related compulsive behavior, functional impairment, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms were substantial. 35.9% felt tired during daytime due to late-night smartphone use, 38.1% acknowledged decreased sleep quality, and 35.8% slept less than four hours due to smartphone use more than once. ”

“Anjan Chatterjee uses tools from evolutionary psychology and cognitive neuroscience to study one of nature’s most captivating concepts: beauty. Learn more about the science behind why certain configurations of line, color and form excite us in this fascinating, deep look inside your brain.”

If You Had Any Doubt About the Rabid Growth of Partisan Politics …

“The most comprehensive study to date of the growing universe of partisan websites and Facebook pages about US politics reveals that in 2016 alone at least 187 new websites launched, and that the candidacy and election of Donald Trump has unleashed a golden age of aggressive, divisive political content that reaches a massive amount of people on Facebook.”

“At its root, the analysis of 667 websites and 452 associated Facebook pages reveals the extent to which American online political discourse is powered by a mix of money and outrage.”

“The extensive BuzzFeed News analysis shows just how deeply outrage and the revenue it generates are tied to divisive online discussions.”

Tom Clancy (1947–2013), whose meteoric career from insurance agent to #1 NY Times Bestselling author began with The Hunt for Red October in 1984, is a legend among espionage thriller writers.

The Jack Ryan Books

The book series, which now totals over 25 novels in various configurations, has been extended since Clancy’s death by other talented thriller writers. If you’ve been paying attention, I have also written about those authors and their own series, including Mark Greaney, author of the terrific Gray Man series and Marc Cameron, author of the equally terrific Jericho Quinn series, another of the SpecOps badasses.

The Jack Ryan Movies

Over a few stolen moments in the last few weeks, I stumbled across The Sum of All Fears (2002), which I don’t think I’ve seen before even though I thought I had seen all 5 movies. In this one, Ben Affleck plays Jack Ryan while in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), Chris Pine plays Ryan in his younger days.

If you’re looking for a little action, with very talented casts, you won’t go wrong with either of these. When you’re done, feel free to hit The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger to complete the cycle.

Use of Force by Brad Thor (Scot Harvath #17)

It’s quite the season for the bad-ass SpecOps characters that are filling up my bookshelf. Over the last few weeks, I’ve read and shared with you the latest novel from:

the Jonathan Graves series from John Gilstrap,

the John Rain series from Barry Eisler, and

the Dewey Andreas series from Ben Coes.

This is not a group of guys you want to mess with.

Now in Use of Force, #17 in his series, comes another of my favorites in Scot Harvath, a former Navy seal who has become a covert counterterrorism operative, black cover all the way.

“As a storm rages across the Mediterranean Sea, a terrifying distress call is made to the Italian Coast Guard. Days later, a body washes ashore. Identified as a high value terrorism suspect (who had disappeared three years prior), his name sends panic through the Central Intelligence Agency. Where was he headed? What was he planning? And could he be connected to the ”spectacular attack“ they have been fearing all summer? In a race against time, the CIA taps an unorthodox source to get answers: Navy SEAL turned covert counterterrorism operative, Scot Harvath.” [Amazon]

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Lary brings to the table a wealth of real world wisdom and experience that is grounded in an impressive array of C-level and other executive leadership and operational management roles. Over the years I have found Lary's advise and counsel to be invaluable, I think in part because of his dedication and commitment to being of true value to his clients and colleagues. Lary has a well-honed ability to ask the right (and often difficult!) questions, to shed light on the most challenging aspects of your business, to share best practices and to guide you to valuable solutions to consider. I recommend Lary without hesitation. If you are a CEO or senior level executive, working with Lary will no doubt prove to be one of the smartest decisions you will make during your career.~ David Newlin, Managing Partner

In my former position as a tax partner at KPMG, LLP, I worked closely with Lary on the tax aspects of the plethora of business issues that arise in the life cycle of a start up company. It was unusual to see a senior finance person demonstrate a seasoned business acumen in identifying issues and opportunities, grasping the technical issues, resolving obstacles and implementing change. ~ Jeffrey Bergmann, V.P. Worldwide Tax

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Lary has a remarkable ability to provide a clear and thoughtful analysis of the business drivers and potential outcomes facing private companies at each stage of development. His insight has provided a powerful framework for decision-making in many challenging situations. ~ Noah J. Rosenkrantz, CEO

I've known and worked with Lary for more than 15 years as a business partner, consulting colleague and adviser and have found that Lary's financial skills and creativity result in high quality results for his clients. I am certain that Lary's strong work ethic, client focus and successful track record bode well for future clients just as they have formed the foundation of a long-term and highly valued relationship for me. ~ Kevin J. Sharps, Director, Financial Services Consulting practice

Ready to mix it up a little?

If you’re a fan of the Mystery-Thriller-Suspense genre, you can enjoy a little diversion and dive into some of the great reads you’ll find here. I intend to stimulate your discovery of the good, the bad and the only genre where a ranch breakfast is a steel metal jacket dipped in cordite. Have fun!

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About Me

I am a leadership coach and a professional author and speaker, facilitating leadership groups among CEOs and senior business leaders in the SF Bay area.

I am the author or more than 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay affiliate of the NY Times among the 500+ articles here. I have also written 3 ebooks about Leadership & Business Finance.

I have been married forever to a beautiful woman and have one spectacular daughter who has dedicated her life to helping children with life-threatening illnesses.
Read more ….

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Why Learn It All the Hard Way?

Ready to mix it up a little?

If you're a fan of the Mystery-Thriller-Suspense genre, you can enjoy a little diversion and dive into some of the great reads you'll find here. I intend to stimulate your discovery of the good, the bad and the only genre where a ranch breakfast is a steel metal jacket dipped in cordite. Have fun!